[ What about Humanity in Talibani Islam ?

HUNDREDS of thousands of internally displaced persons are fleeing the strife-torn areas of Swat, Buner and other parts of the Malakand division while reportedly thousands more remain caught in the crossfire between the TTP insurgents and the military. The plight of these refugees constitutes a humanitarian crisis that may prove to be the litmus test of how far the government and citizenry support those who are the first and most immediate victims of the horror unleashed by the extremists. Unlike the overwhelming outpouring of sympathy and aid after the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, the current crisis is marked by a lack of either material support or societal solidarity for the IDPs. Yet they are no less deserving of assistance and compassion than the victims of the earthquake — perhaps more so, considering that natural disasters cannot be prevented but the current tragedy is a result of a crisis that is political in nature and as such man-made.

The aid required by the IDPs includes, most immediately, food, shelter, clothing and sanitation. In the longer-term — given the uncertain security situation in their hometowns — affected families will require rehabilitation through employment opportunities, education and absorption into society at large. The primary responsibility for this falls upon the state, for it is incumbent upon the government of the day to protect the life and livelihood of the citizenry. Moreover, only the state has sufficient resources and outreach for long-term rehabilitation. This does not mean, however, that civil society can be absolved. Citizens across the country who have so far not been directly affected by the Taliban’s activities must come to the aid of their brethren. This can be done through making financial and material contributions to private and governmental agencies that are working towards the IDPs’ welfare. Then, the issue of the refugees must be de-linked from ethnic and political concerns since these undermine societal solidarity and further intensify the misery of the IDPs. As citizens of Pakistan, the refugees have a right to protection and assistance offered by not just the state and but also fellow citizens. Most importantly, perhaps, civil society must lobby with the government and its institutions for a successful, speedy end to the military operation and a clean-up of militant-infested areas. The government’s writ must be extended immediately to all its territories, for slow or evasive action against the insurgents may not only give the latter time to regroup, it may also encourage other militant organisations with intentions to spread anarchy.

More than 834,000 displaced in Pakistan: UN

A group of internally displaced men and children vie for a handout of bananas at a UNHCR camp in the outskirts of Peshawar.—Reuters

Friday, 15 May, 2009 | 04:02 AM PST |www.dawn.com

YAR HUSSAIN CAMP: More than 834,000 civilians have fled recent fighting between security forces and the Taliban in the northwest of the country, the UN refugee chief said on Thursday.

The figure was a leap of more than 163,000 people registered since Wednesday, as desperate families piled onto trucks and tractors, or stream on foot out of the three worst-affected districts to hastily set up camps.

‘Some 834,000 IDPs (internally displaced people) have been registered so far. This is a massive, massive displacement in the world today,’ said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres.

‘Pakistan is passing through a difficult period. The international community should come forward and help Pakistan. I cannot give a figure but they need a lot of help,’ he added as he toured the Yar Hussain camp in Swabi district.

Ariane Rummery, spokeswoman for the UN refugee agency, said that 835,226 people had now registered since May 2.

They join another 500,000 people who fled bouts of fighting in the northwest last year, where extremist Taliban militants have been fighting to gain control and impose their brand of Islamic law.

With more than 1.3 million people displaced, Human Rights Watch has warned that Pakistan is facing its biggest movement of people since the partition of India in 1947, which led to the migration of millions.

Security forces have launched a fresh offensive in Swat, Lower Dir and Buner districts after the insurgents advanced to within 100km of Islamabad.—AFP

Even then, the Muslims in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh or everywhere in this Subcontinent or anywhere in this world believe in Pan Islamism and to rule over Non-Muslims ( say Kaffirs). What about this fragmented Islamic Brotherhood where Talibani Muslims are Killing Pakistani Muslims. Talibanis believe that they are the true and pure Muslims in this world on the basis of Quran. And now Quran has been mis-utilised by some Muslims to murder, loot, up-root innocent Muslims unfortunately. Such this flow of dangerous inspiration from Quran must be stopped or banned immediately. Here the questions of ‘Need to Reform Islam ‘ and ‘Reformative Interpretation of Holy Quran ‘ ( now grossly utilized in all un-holy activities) come into front line. Islam is no more a “Religion of Peace” or it contains “Absolute Humanity”. We people should think now the right direction to end up all anomalies in Pakistan and also in Islam.

One Response to “Craze for Talibanization in Pak made us Beggars for a Bread”

It is astonishing to discover that the same small American unit, the US Marine Corps’ Special Operations or MarSOC, has been responsible for all three of the worst incidents in Afghanistan in which civilians have been killed. Its members refer to themselves as “Task force Violence” and the Marines’ own newspaper scathingly refers to the unit as “cowboys”.
Everything the US military has said about the air strikes on the three villages in Bala Boluk district on the evening of 4 May should be treated with suspicion ~ most probably hastily-concocted lies aimed at providing a cover story to conceal what really happened. Official mendacity of these proportions is comparable to anything that happened in Vietnam.
The US military now seem to have dropped their previous suggestion that Taliban gunmen had run through the village streets lobbing grenades into houses because villagers had failed to give them a cut of the profits from the opium crop. No evidence was produced for this unlikely tale. Witnesses saw no signs of grenade blasts or machine gun fire. A US official source in Washington eventually admitted that the claim was “thinly sourced”.
Survivors from Gerani, Gangabad and Khoujaha villages say that there had been fighting nearby but the Taliban had long withdrawn when US aircraft attacked. This was not a few errant sticks of bombs but a prolonged bombardment. It had a devastating effect on the mud-brick houses and photographs of the dead show that their bodies were quite literally torn apart by the blasts. This makes it difficult to be precise about the exact number killed, but the Afghan Rights Monitor, after extensive interviewing, says that at least 117 civilians were killed, including 26 women and 61 children.
The US military has now fallen back on the tired old justification that the enemy was using civilians as human shields. This certainly is not satisfying infuriated Afghans from demonstrating students at Kabul university all the way to President Hamid Karzai. Whatever MarSOC troops thought they were doing in Bala Boluk, the killing of so many civilians will do nothing but strengthen the Taliban. nthe independent